Loyalty
by Kelcor
Summary: Pre-Series. Idea sparked from Logan telling Veronica that he once saw Duncan lose it and not remember anything afterwards, plus the tumultuous relationship b/w Logan and his dad! Some h/c for Duncan and LOTS for Logan. Secrets are revealed. Brotherly Duncan and Logan. Fatherly Jake. Evil Aaron. No Slash. Rated T for mentions of abuse but not graphic. Might be a little OOC...?
1. Duncan

_A/N This is my first story in the Veronica Mars-verse. I hope I captured the voices okay. All reviews are more than welcome. XD ~Kelcor_

**Chapter One – Duncan**

Logan sat on the edge of the bed, trying his best to focus all his concentration on the video game graphics on the television a few feet away and the movement of his fingers on the controller. It was a long weekend and Lily and Veronica had headed off on a shopping weekend in LA with Veronica's mom, and Mrs. Kane was some spa or another for a few days.

Unfortunately for Logan, a long weekend also meant that filming for his dad's newest movie was also put on hold and his dad had decided to come home to spend the four days with his family. Knowing this would result in possibly the four longest days of his life, Logan had opted to spend most of the time with Duncan, more specifically, at Duncan's house. The only stipulation his father had insisted on was that Logan be home for dinner as the producer of a new film Aaron desperately wanted to be a part of would be the guest of honour. The teen dreaded the idea of prancing around like the happy father and son his dad always portrayed them to be in his interviews but knew that to not show up would mean harsh and painful punishment, so he reluctantly kept an eye on the time, even set an alarm on his watch so that he wouldn't forget.

He only half heard the commotion taking place downstairs until an almost feral cry of rage, followed by a loud thump brought him fully back to the here and now. He jumped to his feet and raced down the hall toward the stairs.

What scared him the most was the fact that the cry had sounded oddly like Duncan. The source of the thump he couldn't even begin to guess. An intruder, maybe? His heart thudded a bit harder in his chest when he realized his best friend could very well have been trying to defend himself, or someone else, and the thud was a sign of his failure to do so. In his mind's eye, Logan saw Duncan letting out the feral cry as he charged a much larger intruder and get knocked out for his trouble, crashing to the floor in a heap. With that thought in mind, Logan made a slight detour to one of the storage closets and grabbed an old baseball bat from amidst the years' worth of sporting equipment.

He made his way down the stairs, baseball bat raised over one shoulder, ready to swing at anyone threatening his best friend and his family. He heard grunts and more, yet quieter rage filled cries as he approached the foyer, then followed the noises to Mr. Kane's office to the left of the entrance. When he crossed the threshold, his eyes widened in shock. The sight before him was the last thing he'd ever expected to see.

Duncan was straddled across his father's chest, pummeling him with his fists. The grunts of pain were emanating from Mr. Kane as he did his best to block the punches while still not fighting back.

A breathless "Logan" from the older man brought Logan out of his stunned silence and frozen state. He lunged forward and wrapped his arms around Duncan from behind, using the bear hug to lift and drag his ferociously struggling friend off Mr. Kane and onto the floor.

Almost instantly, Duncan went limp in Logan's arms, a dead weight against the other teen's chest. Tracks of tears on his cheeks. Not knowing what to expect in this strange, awe-filled situation, Logan checked for a pulse and said a silent prayer of thanks to a God he wasn't at all sure existed.

Mr. Kane pulled himself to a half sitting position, eyeing his son not with anger but with sadness and sympathy. The older man had a split lip, a cut above one eye, and was cradling his ribs gingerly with one arm.

The two worked together to get Duncan up the stairs to his room, with Logan carrying most of the weight in favour of Mr. Kane's various injuries. As they laid Duncan out on the bed, Logan eyed his friend's father with a critical eye.

"You should probably go get checked out by a doctor, Mr. Kane."

The older man shook his head. "I won't leave him alone like this."

Logan didn't forget about his father's dinner, he just didn't care. Duncan came first in that equation. "I'll stay with him," he said without hesitation.

"Are you sure?"

The teen could already feel the 20 lashes he was going to get for this. But maybe if he explained to his dad…

"Logan, you can't tell anyone about what happened here today. Please, promise me you won't speak of this to anyone."

Logan gazed up at him. _Okay, 20 lashes it is, then._ "You have my word, sir. I won't tell a soul."

Mr. Kane surprised him with an affectionate embrace, a rare occurrence in Logan's life. He always received plenty of hugs from women, of course – his mother, Lily, girls at school fruitlessly waiting for the rich bad boy to be single again – but from a father figure? His own father only hugged him during photo ops, in search of good publicity, so Logan wasn't quite sure how to react to this. To top it all off, Mr. Kane seemed near tears. And not the fake tears his father had always been able to switch on and off at his leisure, the real ones… the kind of tears Logan had no idea what to do with. Thankfully, he didn't have to figure it out because Mr. Kane released him and headed for the bedroom door. He turned before disappearing from view. "You're a good friend to my son, Logan Echolls. Your father would be proud."

Biting back a laugh of derision about his father being proud of anything the younger Echolls would ever do, Logan pulled the chair away from the desk at the other side of the room and set it next to Duncan's bedside.

Video game long forgotten, Logan now focused all his concentration on his best friend, and with everything quiet and back to normal, save for the fact that Duncan was currently lying unconscious on his bed, Logan couldn't help but think back on what had happened in Mr. Kane's office.

Duncan had been fine moments before. He and Logan were playing video games and talking about nothing in particular. Just hanging out. Then Duncan had gone downstairs for some chips and soda and that was the last Logan had seen of him until he saw him pummelling his father. Logan hadn't checked the time but he was confident only a few minutes had passed between when Duncan left for snacks and when Logan had heard the commotion downstairs.

About an hour later, during which time the alarm went off on his watch – an alarm which he ignored – and he was no closer to coming up with any answers. At least, none that made him feel any less anxious about Duncan's well-being. He sat up straighter in his chair as his friend started to come around.

When Duncan opened his eyes, he appeared disoriented, like he didn't know where he was. He peered up at Logan and the concern he saw only served to increase his confusion.

"How ya' feelin'?" Logan asked, trying to sound nonchalant but not quite succeeding.

"Like crap," Duncan told him. "What happened?"

Logan wasn't at all sure how to answer that question. Because, quite honestly, he was still trying to figure that part out himself. "What's the last thing you remember?"

Duncan thought for a moment, then: "Kicking your butt in Need for Speed, then going downstairs for some food."

Okay, so, apparently Duncan knew even less than Logan. Deciding to avoid this conversation for as long as possible, Logan said, "Hey, you weren't kicking my butt! I was just letting you get over confident so that it would hurt even more when I beat you!" He plastered his best grin on his face and waited for Duncan to take the bait.

Instead, he watched helplessly as his friend looked down at his knuckles. Duncan sat bolt upright. "Logan, what did I do?" He got up and pulled Logan up with him, lifting his shirt, apparently searching for bruises.

Logan pushed his hands away. There were of course bruises to be seen but not from any beating from Duncan, and Logan wasn't ready for the abuse from his father to become known. Even to his best friend. He felt his face burn with shame as he pulled quickly away, out of Duncan's reach.

"I hurt you, didn't I? Logan, let me see!"

"No, dude, it wasn't me. You didn't lay a hand on me, I swear, so just back off!"

Duncan eyed him suspiciously. "If I didn't touch you, why are you so jumpy?"

"It was your dad, man." And Logan was guilt-ridden as soon as the words left his mouth. Duncan looked stricken. Mortified. _Nice friend you are, Logan, _he chastised himself_. You spill the beans that will most hurt him, just to keep your own secret safe!_ "He's okay, though," he back pedalled.

"Where is he?" Duncan said suddenly, heading for the door.

"He'll be back soon. He asked me to stay with you 'til he got back."

"Tell me where he went, Logan," Duncan demanded. When Logan didn't respond right away, Duncan shoved him up against the wall, not really hard but hard enough to elicit a wince. Instantly, he let his friend go and backed away. "I'm sorry… I'm – I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to…"

"Hey," Logan said, snarky grin in place, "don't flatter yourself. I barely felt a thing," he lied, the still healing bruises and welts on his back screaming in pain.

"Please, Logan," Duncan begged, "tell me what happened."

Logan's attitude immediately returned to concerned friend. "I honestly don't know everything that happened, man."

"Well, tell me what you do know."

"I was up here playing Need for Speed and I heard yelling from downstairs. I went down to make sure everything was okay and you were…" his voice trailed off, unsure as to whether or not he should continue. "Maybe we should just wait 'til your dad gets home."

"No," Duncan said firmly. "Tell me. I was what?"

Logan took a deep, fortifying breath. "You were… you were on top of your dad, punching him, and screaming at him. I had to pull you off. Then you just went limp. It was like you were Rambo, then you were Gumby a nanosecond later. Me 'n your dad got you up here, then he went… to the doctor." The last bit he said softly but, at Duncan's look of panic, he quickly clarified, "Just to get checked out, I promise. He was feeling well enough to help me get you upstairs. Which was no easy task, let me tell you. You really need to lay off those cheeseburgers, man!"

The tiniest of smiles showed on Duncan's face and Logan knew everything was going to be okay. But the smile was gone just as quick. "Sorry you had to see me like that, man," Duncan whispered. "I never wanted you to ever see me like that."

Logan peered closely at his friend. "You mean this has happened before?"

Duncan nodded, gaze fixed on the floor, refusing to meet Logan's eyes. Logan placed a hand on either of his friend's shoulders. "Hey," he said softly, waiting. When Duncan still didn't look up at him, he repeated himself, a little bit louder this time, "Hey." Finally, eye contact was achieved. It was clear Duncan was afraid of what Logan would think of him now that his little secret was out of the bag. "So, you go all Rambo once in a while, so what? You really think that would bother me? It's actually nice to know that I'm not the only bad boy in this relationship."

This time, Duncan offered up a full watt smile. Logan squeezed his shoulders and gave what he hoped was a reassuring smile in return.

The moment was broken by Logan's phone buzzing. He pulled it out of his pocket and glanced down at the angry text on the screen, "WHERE ARE YOU?" Quickly putting his devil-may-care mask in place before Duncan could get a glimpse of the fear in his eyes, Logan slipped the phone back in his pocket.

"You have somewhere you need to be?" Duncan asked carefully. He didn't really want to be alone right now but he didn't want Logan to get into trouble, either. He was pretty sure there was more going on behind closed doors at the Echolls' home than his friend would ever admit to.

"Nah," Logan dismissed with a wave of the hand. He was gonna get a beating anyway, might as well make it worth it. "How about I beat you at Need for Speed for the second time today?"

"Oh, whatever, man," Duncan laughed, pulling out the game controllers once again.

Late that night, long after Mr. Kane had returned, Logan left for home, being sure to take the long way, putting off the inevitable for as long as possible.

His father attacked as soon as he walked in the door. He didn't ask any questions. He usually stayed away from the face so that people wouldn't start talking, but since it would be four days before Logan would be going back to school, he didn't hold back this time.

The beating continued for longer than Logan would have thought possible. Apparently, his dad was in an especially bad mood tonight. Maybe things didn't go so well with the producer? Either way, Aaron wasn't going to stop until he broke his son and Logan refused to let the man see him cry this time.

The battle against tears seemed doomed to be a losing one but unconsciousness ended up being his saving grace. If his dad kept beating him after that, Logan didn't feel it.

TBC


	2. Logan - Part I

_A/N Please R&R? Your reviews mean the world to me! XD ~Kelcor_

CHAPTER TWO - LOGAN PART I

The next morning, the doorbell woke Logan up. Before he even opened his eyes, the memories from the night before came flooding back. He tried to move, to push himself up, but every muscle in his body seemed to scream in protest.

Duncan was standing on the other side of the door, bouncing from foot to foot. The 6 am call from Logan had been disturbing to say the least. Just one word wheezed through the phone – 'help', then the line went dead. And now it seemed like a lifetime had passed in the few minutes since he'd rung the bell. Not wanting to wait any longer, he tried the door. Unlocked. He breathed a sigh of relief and pushed the door open. His breath caught in his throat when he saw Logan curled up on the floor only a few feet away.

He was at his friend's side in an instant, kneeling down next to him and touching his shoulder. Logan flinched away from the touch with a cry of pain. Not knowing where else to touch, Duncan rested his hand on the crown of his friend's head. He was in really bad shape. "Logan? Hey, Logan, are you okay? What happened to you?" His gaze moved around their immediate vicinity, looking for an intruder, but instinctually knowing that this was not the work of some stranger looking to rob the place and getting interrupted. This had been personal.

Logan looked up at him through one swollen eye. "What're… doin' h're?"

"You called me," Duncan replied.

"…di'n't…" Logan slurred back.

The loss of memory ratcheted his concern up a few notches. Duncan glanced furtively up the stairs, worried that Aaron Echolls would be making a grand entrance onto the scene any minute now. "Can you walk?" he asked quietly.

No answer. Which Duncan took to mean 'no but I'm not going to admit it'.

"Okay, don't worry about it, just let me do all the work." He slowly turned Logan over onto his back, wincing at the first full view of his friend's beaten face. "This is probably gonna hurt," he muttered, then took Logan by the arm and began to pull him into a sitting position.

"'m fine, Dunc'n, jus' go 'ome."

"No way. Not without you, man." Logan tried to push him away but Duncan caught him by the wrist and waited for his friend to make eye contact. When he did, it was dodgy at best. Duncan wasn't sure if that was due to concussion or embarrassment. Didn't much matter right now, anyway. "I am _not _leaving you here, Logan. You hear me? Like it or not, you're coming with me."

"Can't," Logan all but whimpered.

Okay. Embarrassment it was, then. Though, Duncan still couldn't completely rule out a possible concussion. "Don't worry about it, brother, I gotcha," he said softly, and in one fluid movement, pulled his best friend up and over his shoulders. He ignored the protests but couldn't quite tune out the whimpers that continued to slip through the long built barriers.

Duncan eased him into the car and got him settled and buckled in as quickly and gently as he could. Just as he got behind the wheel and started the car, Logan grabbed his arm with more force than Duncan would have thought possible. "No 'ospital," Logan insisted.

"Logan, come on, man. You're in really bad shape. You probably have a concussion, and I wouldn't be surprised if some of your ribs were fractured – " his voice trailed off when he saw the one single tear slide down his friend's face.

"Please," Logan begged. "No… 'ospital."

The guy was barely conscious but Duncan couldn't bring himself to ignore the plea completely. "Okay, I'll take you back to my place and call our family doctor to check you out. But if he says you need a hospital, you're going, no arguments. Deal?"

Logan hesitated so long that Duncan thought he'd lost consciousness again, then "Fine," came out on another pained breath.

Duncan called his dad on his way home, gave him the Cliff's notes version of what happened, then beat pretty much every speed record getting Logan to safety.

He watched his dad run out of the house as he pealed into the driveway. The passenger side door open to reveal a barely conscious Logan before Duncan had the ignition turned off. His father's gasp was audible even over the sound of the engine.

"You're sure his dad did this to him?"

"Pretty sure," Duncan ground out, as he exited the vehicle and came around to join his father. "Who else could it have been? Dad, he doesn't even remember calling me! I wanted to take him to the hospital but - "

Jake placed a hand on Duncan's shoulder to stop him. "It's okay, son. You did the right thing bringing him here. I called Dr. Kipper as soon as I hung up with you and he's on his way. But I think we should maybe call Sheriff Mars."

"No," Logan exclaimed, blindly grabbing onto Jake Kane's arm this time. He began tossing his head from side to side, clearly distressed at the idea of calling the police. Though, Duncan was pretty sure it wasn't so much about protecting his father as it was about not letting anyone else see him like this. He exchanged a look with his dad and was surprised to see his father lean into the car and put a hand on either side of Logan's jaw, cupping his face in the same way Duncan could remember him doing with him and Lily when they were younger and distraught about something. He knew that, deep down, this fatherly affection was exactly what Logan needed right now.

"Logan," Jake said firmly but gently, "I want you to look at me, son."

Logan complied, likely completely unaware of the tears streaming down his cheeks. "Please," was all he seemed able to say. Jake Kane caught the tears with his thumbs, eliciting a surprised gasp from the teen. Duncan wasn't sure if it was surprise at the gentle touch, or surprise that the tears were there in the first place. Either way, Logan hated showing any kind of weakness.

"We won't call the police this time, son," Duncan heard his father say. "But we need to get you inside right now, okay?" After a weak nod from Logan, Duncan helped his dad gently pull Logan from the car and they each walked on either side of him, doing their best to take most of his weight.

They managed to get him into the house without much difficulty but when they got to the bottom of the stairs, Logan stopped. "Sofa?" he whispered hopefully.

Jake and Duncan both saw the look of dismay on the young man's face as he gazed up the staircase knowing full well that he wouldn't be able to make it to the second floor. Taking pity on him, Jake said, "Duncan, why don't you go get the guestroom ready?"

"But," Duncan began uncertainly, because the guestroom was always ready for unexpected guests. Then he exchanged another look with his dad, glanced at Logan, and suddenly he got it. "Yeah, okay," he said, waiting until his father had a good hold on his friend before heading up the stairs.

Jake gazed down at the teen now completely leaning into his side, his heart breaking over the knowledge that the boy's own father had done this to him. "Logan," he said softly, "if we just put you on the sofa, anyone who comes by to visit over the next few days will see you. Wouldn't you rather have a bit of privacy?" It was a low blow but Jake knew Aaron would likely come looking for his son soon and wanted as many walls and doors between him and Logan as possible. Of course, _Jake _would be standing between Aaron and Logan, and Aaron wouldn't have a chance getting past him, but Jake didn't even want the kid to _hear _his father when he came looking.

A nod and a small whimper was the only answer he got, though. Logan wanted privacy but the kid knew he wouldn't be able to get up the stairs. And Jake knew that the kid would die before he asked for what was clearly needed, nor would he agree were Jake to suggest it.

Since he knew what the answer would be, Jake didn't even bother asking. He simply leaned down and scooped Logan up into his arms. A mortified whimper and a barely-there struggle came out of the teen but Jake just hushed him and said "I won't tell anyone, if you don't." Then began the climb to the second floor.

Duncan had caught on nicely and wasn't in the guestroom when his father entered with Logan cradled in his arms. Poor kid had his face buried in the crook of Jake's neck and shoulder and Jake could feel the tears of pain and humiliation soaking his collar. He gently laid Logan on the bed, of which Duncan had already pulled back the covers, and used one corner of the sheet to carefully dry the boy's face. "Nothing to be embarrassed about, son. You're part of this family and we take care of each other. Got it? You took care of Duncan yesterday, even took care of me a bit. Now, it's our turn to take care of you."

Logan gazed up at him. His confusion made Jake think that maybe he did have a concussion as Duncan had feared. Either way, the teen had calmed quite a bit. Duncan stepped up to the bed with a large basin of water and a couple wash cloths.

"Good thinking, Duncan. Let's get him out of these bloody clothes. Doctor Kipper should be here soon."

By the time they had Logan stripped down to his boxers and cleaned up, the kid was more mortified than ever. Sure, no teenage boy wanted to be seen in this vulnerable state, but Jake knew it was more than that. He simply wasn't used to being taken care of by anyone. Except by his mother, of course. And Jake didn't want to think about how many times Lynn Echolls had had to nurse her son back to health after a run in with Aaron. He wanted to believe this was a one-time thing but something told him it wasn't. The kid just seemed too accustomed to the pain. No, not accustomed... accepting. Like it was par for the course for him.

Doctor Kipper arrived a short time later. The older man took one look at Logan and said, "What in the world happened to this boy?"

Before Jake or Duncan could answer, Logan muttered, "Mugged." Neither of the Kane's argued. They had promised Logan, after all. But Jake silently vowed to have a chat with Aaron Echoll's himself very soon.

"Why wasn't he taken to a hospital?" the doctor demanded.

"He has a phobia of hospitals," Duncan lied. "Begged me to take him here, instead." At least that much was true.

Doctor Kipper wasn't at all happy about it, even grumbled through the entire exam about how Logan should be in a hospital, but he didn't argue.

Duncan could tell Logan was biting back, holding the pain in. So, he took Logan's hand, almost surprised at how tight Logan gripped his hand in return. As soon as the doctor was done with his examination, Duncan sat down with his friend to try to help him breathe through the pain.

Meanwhile, the doctor pulled Jake aside to speak with him in private. Basically, he could tell by the old scar tissue that they were lying to him but knew that he wouldn't be able to prove it, not with Aaron Echoll's high powered attorneys. So, he promised to let it go for now but that if he had to treat Logan again for anything more than the common cold, he would be more than happy to give the case to Child Services, high powered attorneys or not. Jake assured him that he would be doing everything in his power to make sure it never came to that.

Later that day, as expected, Aaron Echolls made the mistake of coming to the Kane Estate in search of his son.

TBC


	3. Logan - Part II

CHAPTER THREE - LOGAN PART II

Jake stood at the check out holding a box of extra supplies that they have just never had a serious need for in their house – extra strength pain killers, a prescription Dr. Kipper had given him to fill for Logan, plus lots of instant cold packs and heating pads.

The pharmacist who had filled the prescription started ringing the items through and asked "Did the younger Echolls get injured in another sporting event?"

This caught Jake off guard. "I'm sorry?"

"Oh, well, his mother comes in here to purchase similar items every time he gets injured. If you ask me, anyone who gets that badly hurt that often, probably shouldn't be playing contact sports."

Jake paid the man and left, mind whirling at the implications of what he'd just been told. How often was _that often_. Every month? Every week? He got in his car and headed for home, straining not to break every Nascar record he'd ever seen.

Granted, he hadn't been all that fond of Logan dating Lily at first but that was only because he could tell the kid was a ladies man even at his young age. But Logan had won him over. He could see only love in the boy's eyes every time he looked at Lily, saw the way the kid treated her even when he thought no one was looking, and what father could ask for more than that from his daughter's high school boyfriend. Jake would be the first to admit that Lily wasn't perfect and could sometimes be a handful but Logan seemed to truly love her, faults and all. Jake had to respect that.

But even before Logan and Lily started dating, Logan had been Duncan's best friend for as long as he could remember. He'd even been around when they'd told Duncan one day after school that they'd had to give Molly away to another family. Jake just hadn't had the heart to tell his sensitive young son that the dog had been hit by a car and the vet hadn't been able to save her. Better that Duncan be mad at his old man for 'giving her away'. At least that he'd be sure to get over. The death of his best friend? Jake wasn't at all sure Duncan would fully recover from that news. It was after that day that Logan and Duncan had become closer than ever. Apparently, Logan had suffered a similar loss and they were able to comfort each other over their individual losses.

How could Logan be going through this kind of home life with no one knowing about it? Right under his nose! How could he have missed the signs? _Because you're too self-involved,_ Lianne's voice told him. He shook his head. Every time he thought he was over that woman, something would happen and BAM! he'd hear her voice in his head. Then again, she always had been the one who would call it like she saw it with him. She was just never intimidated, not by his money, certainly not by his stature in the community. Heck, even Celeste's ice cold looks from across the room never seemed to faze her. Part of him wondered if anything ever would. He loved Celeste, no doubt about it, but he still wanted Lianne in his life because, even after everything, she had always been his best friend. And he found a small comfort in knowing that even Celeste wouldn't be able to scare her away.

His little introspective came to a screeching halt as he pulled into his driveway, however. There, parked haphazardly in front of the door, was Aaron Echoll's car. Not even taking the time to turn off the ignition, Jake bolted out of his car and into the house.

He could hear Aaron yelling upstairs but was unable to make out the words. As he darted up the stairs, taking the steps two at a time, he heard a cry of pain. The source of the cry came into view as he reached the top of the stairs and rounded the corner – Aaron Echolls was practically dragging Logan down the hall. Duncan was chasing after them, trying to talk reason into the older Echolls. That's his Duncan, the peacekeeper.

As Jake approached, he watched Aaron yank Logan's arm particularly hard and the boy fell to his knees in pain, the clothes bundled up in his arms landed on the floor in a heap next to him. "Please, dad – "

"Stop with the drama queen routine, Logan," Aaron said harshly. "Or I'll show you real pain when we get home. In fact, I think I hear a certain belt buckle calling your na —" His voice trailed off when he saw Jake coming toward them. "Listen, Jake, I don't know what Logan told you but –"

The lie was cut short by an uppercut to the jaw. Logan looked up in surprise as his father went crashing back into the wall.

Jake didn't take his eyes off the object of his rage but said to Duncan, "Get Logan back into the room and lock the door."

"But, dad!"

"Don't argue with me, Duncan. Do it, now!"

"No! Mr. Kane, it's not worth it!" Logan pleaded.

Jake wanted nothing more than to correct Logan's way of thinking but Aaron was rising to his feet and he had to focus all his attention on his adversary.

Duncan had seen many old photos of his dad's glory days as an amateur boxer and he towered over Aaron Echolls by four and a half inches. Guy didn't stand a chance. So, he did has his father asked and helped Logan to his feet. He supported him as much as he could the distance to the bedroom but Logan fought against him. "No, Duncan, you gotta stop this, man. I'll go with him. I don't want your dad getting hurt because of me. Duncan!"

They crossed the threshold into the bedroom and Duncan shut and locked the door with one hand, doing his best to hold Logan up with the other. But it seemed that any strength Logan had left in him dissipated because his legs gave out and he started to sink to the floor. Quick reflexes had Duncan stopping the descent and lifting Logan into his arms in one fluid movement. He carried his friend the few feet left to the bed and gently laid him out on the mattress. Logan grabbed a hold of the front of his shirt and pulled him down until they were nose to nose. Duncan could see the pain clear in the one eye that wasn't swollen shut. "It's not worth it."

Duncan heard and saw what Logan was really saying. He kept the eye contact and put as much love and friendship into his gaze as he said firmly, "Yes, you are."

Stunned silence was his only response. He patted the fists still gripping his shirt and gently eased them off and onto the bed. Then he sat on the mattress next to his friend and they both stared at the door, waiting for Jake Kane to give the okay.

They could hear the scuffle, the yelling, even the occasional THUMP that shook the wall next to the door. But soon the noises grew less audible and they could hear more from Duncan's dad than Logan's. Suddenly, the yelling was coming from outside. Duncan jumped to his feet and ran to the window looking out onto the driveway and arrived just in time to see Jake Kane give Aaron Echolls a swift kick in rear, sending the other man sprawling onto the paved drive. The teen couldn't help but smile with pride. _No doubt about it, my dad ROCKS! _

"What's happening?" Logan asked from the other side of the room.

"Your dad's leaving," Duncan said, thinking to himself that was the understatement of the century.

"Really? He's leaving? Just like that?"

Duncan shrugged as he turned away from the window and made his way back to Logan. "What can I say, my dad must've had a convincing argument."

"This isn't funny, Dunc," Logan groaned. "Our families have just become the Hatfield's and McCoy's."

"Well, which family won? Cuz that would be us!"

"Not us. You. You're forgetting that I'm an oh-so-proud member of the _other_ family."

"I thought we already had this discussion," Jake remarked from the doorway.

Both boys turned to see Duncan's dad holding a box full of supplies.

Logan's gaze fell on Jake, completely bewildered. Then he looked down at the man's hand and his jaw dropped. Confusion quickly morphed into a kind of shocked awe. Jake's knuckles were bloodied. "Is that…?"

"Your dad's? Yeah, mostly," Jake replied with a self-satisfied grin. His smile faded, however, when he saw the distress on Logan's face. Crap. He hadn't even considered that, no matter what Aaron had done to Logan, he was still the kid's father…

"Are – are you okay?"

Jake studied the teen more closely and was surprised, and slightly humbled, to discover that the concern was for him, not Aaron. "I'm fine, kid," he assured him gently. "Now, how about we take some of that pain away, huh?"

Logan nodded, eyes close to overflowing. Kid truly had never expected anyone to ever come to his defense like that.

"Duncan, why don't you go get a glass of water to help Logan wash down some of these pain killers ol' Doc Kipper prescribed?"

As Duncan went to do as asked, Jake prepared some of the cooling packs and placed them on the worst of the bruises. When he placed his palm on Logan's forehead and cheek, he could tell the teen was doing his best not to flinch away from him. "Easy, kid, easy," he whispered softly.

Logan simply stared up at him as he continued his ministrations, then broke the silence with a question that broke Jake's heart. "Why are you doing this? You don't even like me," he added, suddenly breaking eye contact and finding something of particular interest on the bedspread.

He still didn't get it? Granted, he was a little panicked when they had last discussed this but come on. Clearly Aaron Echolls had done much more damage than just physical to this kid. Well, that's fine, time to drive the point home.

"Hey," he said softly, trying to get the teen to look at him again. When that didn't work, Jake hooked a finger beneath Logan's chin and gently lifted to regain eye contact. The eyes were skittish, jumping to every place but Jake's face. "Look at me, Logan." It was a command but a beseeching one, so Logan gradually complied, curious at the tone if nothing else. "We consider you a member of this family, Logan," Jake continued. "I think it's about time you did the same, don't you?"

Logan nodded, unknowingly shaking a tear free. Much the same as earlier that day, Jake caught the single droplet with the pad of his thumb, causing the teen to flush with embarrassment. "Must be the pain killers," he said in a slightly choked voice.

Jake didn't bother bringing up the fact that he hadn't had any pain killers yet, he just let the kid save face the only way he knew how. Deflection.

That night, if Logan had any nightmares, the pain killers covered them up because he seemed to sleep like a rock. Well, in between the wake up calls every couple hours to check for concussion at Doc Kipper's orders. Duncan and Jake took turns waking him and asking the 3 or 4 basic questions, each time the answers he gave were correct. A little slurred, but correct.

Not much happened the next day. Logan was more guarded, keeping his emotions in check as the initial trauma began to wear off. But when he and Duncan played a game of poker that afternoon, Logan's poker face was not as impenetrable as he probably would have liked. He delivered the snide remarks and the Cheshire cat grin but the truth was in his eyes – skittish. Every time a noise pierced through their little barrier of peace and quiet, Logan jumped just the tiniest bit and his eyes jumped to the door, likely half expecting his father to come barging into the room once again.

When one of the servants dropped what sounded like a tray downstairs, the echoing CLANG took longer for Logan to come back from. His gaze was transfixed on the door, the cards shook minutely in his hands. Duncan bumped his thigh lightly with his knee to get his attention and Logan's eyes jumped to his and, for just a second, the blatant terror was plain to see. Then, just like that, it was gone. Replaced with anxiety and fear, true, but Duncan realized that Logan's veil of indifference was working a little better than he had originally thought.

"He won't be back, you know."

Logan shrugged with a forced nonchalance. "Yeah, I know. You gonna place your bet or not?"

Willing to play along with the act for the time being, Duncan smiled mischievously and said, "All in."

When they both laid out their cards, Logan sent Duncan a mock glare. "You know, the least you could do is let me win. I am injured, after all. What kind of friend are you, anyway?"

"The kind that takes you for every cent you've got, by the looks of it."

Logan's look of shock sent Duncan into hysterics and Logan wasn't far behind. "Stop it, Dunc! It hurts when I laugh, man!"

That night, Logan didn't need as many pain killers and the nightmares hit full force! More memories than nightmares, actually. Memories from when he was little and his dad wasn't happy with his grades at school; when he spilled a glass of milk at the dinner table and got the belt buckle as punishment; when someone rear ended him in the school parking lot the month before and his dad beat him to a pulp, avoiding the face of course because he still had to go back to school the next day. These memories went around and around in his mind, like a bad movie trailer on repeat, then culminated into two nights before when he got home from Duncan's and was blindsided by a punch to the face, curled in on himself when he was kicked in the ribs, heard the awful taunts and cruel remarks whispered in his ear when his father pulled his head back by a fistful of hair.

He woke up with a yell! And instantly felt arms envelope him, holding him prisoner. His dad had returned! He was going to beat him again! He struggled with all his might to get free, pushed and pulled at his attacker, his father, in a desperate bid for freedom. He felt a morbid satisfaction when he heard the grunts of pain each time an elbow, or fist, or knee connected with flesh and bone. But then the words made their way through to his subconscious – _Shhh, Logan, it's okay, you're okay, it's just me, buddy. It's just me._ Suddenly, the arms weren't holding him prisoner, suffocating him. Instead, they were comforting him, protecting him.

Maybe it was the fact that he'd just woken up. Maybe it was the fact that he'd had a horrible journey back in time via his nightmares. And maybe it was simply the fact that he was tired of being strong all the time. Whatever the reason, Logan felt himself break. He tried not to, even attempted one last time to pull away, this time in shame as opposed to fear, but he was just carefully returned to the safe cocoon of safety by gentle, yet firm hands. His head was guided down to a broad shoulder, the hand remaining to smooth out his hair, to cup the side of his face and neck. All the while, soothing words were whispered into his ear, and the tears just started to flow with increasing speed. He was mortified when he felt a sob rising in his throat and was unable to stop it from going any further and turned his head to bury his face in the nearby neck to try to muffle the sound. Before he knew it, he was shaking with sobs, his entire body quaking in the strong arms that were holding him.

As his sobs finally subsided, he felt his body sag against a firm chest, felt the arms tighten around him, then loosen as he was laid back down on the bed. Deep down he was terrified that his protector would leave him because he knew the nightmares would come back if he was left alone. But, instead, he felt the mattress dip beside him, then he was maneuvered so that his head was back on that broad shoulder, held close by one arm, then two. His eyes got heavier and heavier as he began to fall back to sleep. But he jarred himself awake, fearing that as soon as he was asleep, his protector would leave. Surely, he wouldn't stay with him all night long. That would be too much to ask, wouldn't it? Not like Logan would be able to ask, anyway. He was embarrassed enough to even be allowing it to happen. No way could he beg this person to stay, not matter how badly he wanted to…

Then he felt a large hand sift through his hair again, and heard the softly uttered words, "_It's okay, Logan. Just go to sleep. I'm not going anywhere. Go to sleep. You're safe here. I got you."_

And that was all it took. Logan let himself drift back to sleep, somehow knowing that his protector would keep the nightmares at bay.

The End

_A/N I hope it was an enjoyable read. I kept the identity of Logan's protector ambiguous on purpose so that whoever wants it to be Duncan can imagine it's Duncan, and whoever wants it to be Jake can imagine it's Jake... did I make the right decision on that? Or would you rather one or the other? ~Kelcor_

_A/N2 Also, this seemed like a good place to end it but does it seem too abrupt? I'm working on some other projects right now as well and I don't much trust my judgment on this. LoL Please R&R and let me know your thoughts? Thanks! ~Kelcor_


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